


uncover your mask

by nobantrai



Series: 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐀 [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst (Kind of), M/M, atsuki no yona au! | yona of the dawn au!, based off of shin ah’s backstory, tale of the dragon warriors, they’re just uwu bois
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22933777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobantrai/pseuds/nobantrai
Summary: born with one of the four dragon warrior's powers, jisung can only do so much for his little village.
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐀 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647658
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	uncover your mask

**Author's Note:**

> another anime inspired au! atsuki no yona is an anime i hold dear to my heart and have been waiting for a 3rd season for the longest time now, but it seems they won’t be making it. so solution? reading the manga :)
> 
> anyways, chensung/chenji seemed like the best pair for this so here it is. hope y’all enjoy!

" _he's the one with the dragon's blood. the next guardian. just look at his eyes._ "

" _quickly! put the mask on him before his powers awaken._ "

" _another cursed child in this village. haven't we suffered enough?_ "

" _blame the red king. he was the one that caused all of this._ "

" _he's long gone, so what's the point in spiting him now?_ "

" _but—_ "

the cries of a child snapped the two villagers out of their banter. looking back down, hatred and disgust painted their features. this baby was the reason why everyone in this village lives in fear, but they had no other choice but to host the child with the dragon's blood running through his veins. the best they could do was shun the boy until he was swooped up by the next red king, which to no luck had happened as of yet.

" _what about his mother?_ "

" _she killed herself._ "

" _makes sense, but then who is going to take care of him?_ "

" _the previous blue dragon of course. it's rule that the previous blue dragon train the next dragon._ "

the previous human embodiment of the blue dragon still stands, his heart still beating like any other human. he will be the one to train the child until his own powers leave him for good.

the tale of the four dragon warriors was well known across the kouka empire. being passed down from generation to generation, parents telling their children the story for knowledge of their alleged history. long long ago, the red dragon had came down from the heavens in human form to rule and live among humans. he had an unconditional love for humans. no matter how much harm they did to him, he couldn't bring himself to be spiteful towards them. it didn't sit well in his heart.

when he was to be persecuted by the very humans he respected, the four dragons (white, blue, green, and yellow) came to protect him. they were only shunned by the red dragon as his love overruled any logical reasoning. the dragons then decided to protect the red dragon by making four humans of their choosing drink their blood, granting them powers of the dragons. it was on a smaller scale, and maybe the king would be able to accept it more.

one possessed sharp claws that could slice through anything as it were butter.

one had eyes that could see far beyond a mortal's sight, going as far as being able to paralyze those around him.

one possessed a leg that let's him jump far up into the heavens, as if he were flying.

and finally, one that would never die and would have glorious health till the end of time; his healing abilities far more than impeccable.

after the death of the red king, the white, blue, and green dragons set off and built villages of their own. this was to assure a peaceful life with the time they had left before the next warrior was born. meanwhile, the yellow dragon, now very much aware of his own fate, stayed behind as the priest of the kingdom. years had passed and the second generation warriors were still not called upon by the reincarnated red king, leaving them to slowly rot away, waiting for the third generation of warriors.

-

i'd always wondered why everyone hated me the moment i was born.

at first, it was the weary glances. then came the whispers among each other, and finally mothers hiding their children away from yong and i. i never meant any harm, and neither did i want to hurt anyone from my village.

there was a day in where i watched a group of kids play with tops behind a tree. they were smiling and laughing, play fighting each other sometimes too. one of the tops had hit the other top and it went flying in my direction and without thinking, i walked out of my hiding spot to retrieve the toy.

"c-can i play too?"

the kids froze up, eyes clear with fear. it was as if they had saw a big burly monster ready to gobble them up. and yet, i knew that it wasn't that. it was me that they were afraid of.

" _i heard that if you look into his eyes he'll turn you into stone!_ "

" _i don't wanna turn into stone._ "

" _he's a monster._ "

before i could hear anymore, yong appeared and harshly dragged me away from the group; the top i once held long gone as it slipped from my hands when yong pulled me away. then we were back in the cobblestone hut i knew as home.

it was cold and dark, lacking any type of furnishing except for a wooden bench and two old futons. the only window we had was covered by a dark red curtain and over the years, i wondered why we had to live in the dark like this even through the day when the sun was out.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! WALKING OUT THERE, AND TRYING TO TALK TO THE VILLAGERS LIKE THAT?" he was always like this; harsh and borderline abusive at times. but he was the only home i had, and i didn't want to be left alone.

"b-but i just w-wanted to make s-some friends..."

"HAVE YOU?!" he spat out, gripping onto my shirt and yanking me forward so that we met eye to eye.

"no..." i muttered pathetically.

"that's what i thought." his voice dripped with ice, cold and distanced. i could tell that he hated being himself; being the blue dragon. if only people would just give the supernatural a chance, there would be less instances like this. maybe then, yong wouldn't be so bitter all the time, acting like all of this was a curse bestowed upon him.

but what would the world be without its dark side to balance out the light?

he let go of me then said, "we who possess the dragon's blood only sign up for humans to fear us, nothing more. we don't make friends with them either. some even hunt us out for our abilities, so keep. your. distance."

a sudden jolt went up my spine and from the corner of my eyes, past the mask, curtains, houses, then over some hills i saw it. some thieves were camping out, seemingly headed towards the village. i walked over to the wooden bench placed under the window and climbed on top of it, moving the curtain aside alerting yong in the process.

"what is it?"

"bad people. their looking our way."

thieves, soldiers, bandits, and those who only seek trouble would always somehow make their way to the blue dragon's village. either be it to see if the legends were true or to loot the village of its goods.

yong and i would always go and prevent them from even stepping foot into the village. well, more like yong would and while i observe. he never used his eyes as he said it was a terrible power to behold. it shouldn't need to be used, and so, he chose a sword to take out the enemy instead.

countless times i've watched him kill enemies in a mere swoop never ceases to amaze yet terrify me. but as time when on and yong became older, his moves became slower, more strained. he'd get more winded and i've always wanted to step in but i was useless. i could barely wield a sword properly and only had a dagger that i rarely used.

it was a stroke of luck that yong had dodged that last move and thrusted the blade backwards to catch the man off guard. red tainted the man's kimono and he struggled to move, eventually falling to the ground when yong ripped the blade out of him.

with his breath ragged, he sheathed his sword and simply said, "did you observe my technique?"

"m-mhm!" i responded.

"good."

then we were back in the village, night already upon us. looking up from our walk home, i could see the stars past the grayish clouds that tried to cover them. the moon stood shining bright as always, shedding light onto the path we were walking through.

"yong?"

"hm?"

"when you uhm...lose your powers...are you going to be up there?" i tentatively pointed upwards at the mosaic of stars above us, twinkling from time to time.

yong tilted his head upwards, then sighed not bothering to answer my question. i didn't want to push him anymore, so i stayed mute biting the dry skin off my chapped lips to get my mind off of everything. this life. the future. the dragons. everything.

-

it was one of those days where i managed to wander around the village without yong's supervision. i stayed out of sight, knowing yong will once again go into another rant about how i shouldn't be interacting with the villagers and all.

the only place that ever truly calmed me down was a small patch in the woods. it wasn't that far away from the village so i found it safe to relax in. but when i pushed through the shroud of vines and leaves that covered the clearing, i could hear faint sniffling.

there was a boy.

he was curled up in a ball, head buried in the crook on his knees. i had a moment in where i hesitated to even take another step forward, scared to succumb to the reaction that was of fear and disgust. yet, the unrelenting whimpers made my body move by itself, and before i knew it, i was crouching beside the tearful boy.

my hand shakily moved, reaching over the gently pat his head which was covered in pretty purple locks. there was hardly anyone in the village that had vibrantly colored hair as such; me and yong being an exception of course. so seeing this pop of soft lilac was a refreshing sight to say the least.

i felt him flinch under my touch and i quickly retracted my hand.

"s-sorry." i managed to stutter out, leaning back to give him some space.

with another sniff, he raised his head and faced me. his eyes were side and glossy, rimmed with a tinge of red along with the apples of his cheeks and the tip on his nose. gosh, he looks like he'd been crying for hours.

we had a mini staring contest before he spoke up, voice soft and scratchy due to his sore throat i'm assuming. "y-you're the..." sniff, "blue dragon. a-aren't you?"

after he said that, i nodded sadly and was ready to leave him because i knew how things worked around here. as much as i want to stay, and maybe get to know the other boy, i knew i was in no place to do that.

"i-i'll leave you alone...y-you don't h-have to worry about me t-turning you into s-stone or some-something..." even though the stone thing wasn't true one bit, it wasn't like people of this village believed it.

just as i stood up and turned around to leave, i felt a tug on the back on my kimono. "please stay."

i felt my eyes widening at the plead.

did i hear right? it couldn't have been. it's probably my mind playing tricks on me again.

but why does his grip keep on tightening?

"i-i might turn you into stone! aren't y-you scared?"

"don't be silly. that isn't true." shocked was just the beginning of what i began to feel.

"what...?" i turned around and looked at him in confusion. i wasn't sure if he was just playing with me to prepare himself for a quick escape, or if he was being serious.

i guess he heard the confused tilt to my voice and answered my thoughts for me, "you can paralyze me, but you won't do that right?"

i shook my head no. i would never want to use my powers for harm, ever.

it seemed like hours passed when he wiped his snot onto the sleeve of his kimono and told me to sit next to him with a frail smile. i was hesitant to talk because nobody from the village had even tried to talk to me. the most that was done was hurtful whispers and hardened stares, which wasn't very pleasant as one might think.

i had gotten used to being alienated by the village so to have someone, much less someone my age, to want to talk to me like a normal person was...weird to say the least. it was a good weird though.

"w-why were you crying earlier?" i asked, wondering back to how i had found him.

that seemed to catch him by surprise because he started to blush and stutter. "w-well, it was stupid really. nothing serious, just me being a baby that's it."

i didn't want to push so i just nodded along to his answer.

"since you asked me a question, can i asked you one?"

i nodded again.

"what's your name? people call you the blue dragon all the time, but what is your actual name?"

i answered him with silence because...because i didn't know how to answer him. what is my name? i've always been called the blue dragon and nothing else.

"i-i don't have o-one." i answered embarrassed, so my voice was barely over a whisper.

his eyes widened, "you don't?!"

i shook my head shamefully. i never knew having an actual name was that important, and i never really thought about it either.

"do you have a name that you like to be called by?"

"no."

"hmmm." he furrowed his brows and pouted his lips, making it look like he was in deep thought.

i opted for playing with the blades of grass brushing against my feet, twisting and sometimes weaving it into another blade. in my peripheral, i could still see him thinking long and hard about it. unfortunately, i couldn't wrap my head around why my name was so important, or why stranger like him would put so much effort into giving me one. wasn't the 'blue dragon' enough?

it would have seem that i had said the last few words out loud because the boy spoke again, "it can, but you share that title. a name is unique to that person and is something that is a part of who you are. it's special."

i was surprised at how well spoken the boy was. he must've been at most the same age as me, if any younger.

"anyways, i got it!" i turned to look at him and he just looked so excited. not only that, it was as if he were glowing with the streams of sunlight peeking through the leaves of the trees. "jisung. your name is jisung."

"ji...sung?" the syllables felt foreign on my tongue.

"mhm! i have a book at home and the main character's name is jisung. he is really cool and the pictures showed him having blue hair, just like you. he goes on many adventures and helps people in need. he also has this cute squirrel companion which is so so cute!" he rambled on with starry eyes, tears long gone and was replaced by pure joy.

i was in awe at how comfortable he seemed around me, and i couldn't help but smile under my mask.

 _jisung_. i like it.

i like it a lot.

-

days past and the next thing i know, i'm visiting him everyday. before i left on our first meeting, you stopped me and told me your name. "chenle." you said, with the same enchanting smile as before.

what we did on our little escapades varied. some days we'd sword fight with sticks and end up on rolling on the grassy floor laughing till our tummies hurt from laughing too much. on other days, we'd play tag or hide and seek. have i told you what a great hider chenle was? i swore i spent and whole thirty minutes trying to find him. and finally, we'd have our calm days where's we just lay in the grass while talking about anything and everything. he'd sometimes bring his books for us to read too, which i found the stories he picked quite interesting.

i've noticed something throughout our meetings, and it was that he never failed to smile at least once. i found it fascinating how natural it was and how often it was directed towards me.

"so right when you were born, they placed the mask on you face?" chenle repeated, genuinely shocked at the revelation.

"mhm. the first thing i saw was black. no light, no nothing." i've grown used to being able to talk somewhat normally around chenle, and had avoided many stuttering rambles.

chenle let out a huff, his cheeks slightly puffed, "i don't get it. you and yong protect our village, yet all you get is hate."

"i don't get it either...i'm honestly surprised you haven't left me yet." i heard my voice getting smaller by the end of my sentence, my eyes raking down the curves and crevices of one of the nearby trees. for some reason, chenle's silence scared me more than yong's scoldings.

maybe it was because he was my only friend, if he would even consider himself as such, and i didn't want to lose him.

"i...i would never leave you on purpose. you're my friend, and last time i checked, friends don't leave friends behind like that." i felt a weight on my shoulder and from my peripheral, i figured that it was his hand. "jisung-ah, don't worry about me leaving you okay? i can assure you that you'll always find me here one way or another."

i felt the tears coming up and blurring my line of sight. in a way, chenle's words were as comforting as a hot cup of tea yong would sometimes make to warm us up during colder days. they wrapped me whole and made me feel safe. they made me feel like i belong for once.

the tears started to fall and i was in such a rush to rub them away, i accidentally knocked my mask off as well. a gasp left my lips as i squeezed my eyes shut, hands wandering around in the grass to find my fallen mask.

i was still getting used to these powers, and in no way did i want chenle to accidentally look into my eyes and get paralyzed. it was the last thing i want happen to the only friend i had.

"jisung, calm down. i'll get it for you." chenle offered, gently holding my hands from its frantic scramble. i hummed in response, sitting back and let him do what he'd promised. "i-if you don't mind answering...will i ever be able to see your eyes?"

my breath caught in my throat for a second before i let out a puny 'i don't know'. then i felt his fingers brush away the tears that managed to fall down my cheeks, and i unconsciously leaned into his touch.

"well, i'm sure they're really pretty. even though i've never seen a dragon's eyes before." he carefully placed the mask back onto my face and i finally opened my eyes, grateful for chenle's cooperation.

"t-thank you..."

"no pro—"

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT TALKING TO THE VILLAGERS?!" yong's voice cut through the serene ambience of the place and made both of us flinch.

"y-yong! i-i...this...—"

he marched over to me and picked me up by the lapel of my kimono, eyes piercing straight into mine. it was noticeable that his powers were dimming, but that didn't make his stare any less intimidating than it already was. and admittedly, i was scared.

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I WARNED YOU HUH? IF ANYONE OF THOSE VILLAGERS FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS THEY'D COME FOR OUR HEADS! OUR REPUTATION WILL BE EVEN MORE TARNISHED THAN IT ALREADY WAS, AND DON'T YOU DARE GET ME STARTED ON HOW THEY'LL TREAT US!" he spoke the truth, and i knew that. it was true; if any of those villagers walked in on one of their own talking to whom they assume was a monster, they'd be terrified.

i was about to talk but my mouth just hung open with no words to be spilt. it was like i had lost my voice.

"i don't care if this boy isn't afraid of you. once the whole village finds out, this friendship of yours wouldn't have lasted anyways." he loosened his grip.

and there it was. a truth i never wanted to think about. i've been avoiding that fact like it was the plague, ignoring it and living in my own sunny fantasy. chenle was too good to be real. he was too good to last.

"i—"

"chenle...please leave... _please_." i pleaded like my life depended on it. my heart started to ache with an unnatural twist in my stomach. this was for the best, i told myself, but i just couldn't get myself to believe in those words.

when i turned my head to look at chenle for a final time, i saw something that would be etched forever in my mind. he had the most heart wrenching smile i've ever seen, with drops of tears brimming his eyes threatening to fall at any moment.

i bit my lip to stop a sob from escaping and turned back around to yong, who was already making his way back to our little cottage.

i'm sorry...

-

going back to the days without chenle made me realize how dull a day could be. the sun could be shining brightly, giving each and every living thing a lively glow but i never felt as lively as those things. it was weird not being able to talk to chenle, so i resorted to staying silent like i always did.

i'd occasionally see him in town from time to time and he'd always share a small smile when he catches sight of me. i would nod in return and we'd be back to our ordinary lives.

it was hard losing my first friend like that, and i came to believe that i was so desperate for a friend, that i had created to many strings that latched onto chenle. when i thought things couldn't possibly get any worse, it gets worse.

it was evident that yong was indeed losing strength and powers altogether, while i became stronger day by day. almost like i was sucking the life out of him.

"yong, there's more bad people."

"already? can't these hooligans just give up?" clearly, yong was irritated by the consistency of these people. i mean, they've been showing up more often and it was never like this before.

usually, they'd come once or twice and month. so to see this was quite alarming and had me questioning if our value of being dragon warriors suddenly rose? or was it a mere coincidence?

we headed out as usual and i stood by to watch yong fight them. his moves were getting slower, yet hits still lethal. i was itching to help him so that he didn't have to fight them all himself.

there were four of them, all wielding a weapon of sorts while trying to get a hit on yong. all was going well, as yong had knocked two of the men down. unfortunately, one of them caught yong in a blind spot and struck him in the back with his dagger.

yong grunted and was quick to deliver a back kick to the man's gut, causing him to double over. i didn't notice how hard the kick was until i saw him coughing out blood.

when yong was too busy kicking the man who stabbed him away, i saw the other man raise his sword ready to strike. if he were to swipe down at that moment, he would've caught yong in a blind spot. out of pure instinct, i unsheathed the dagger yong had gifted me and threw it, aiming at his hand.

he seemed shocked by my actions and spared me a quick glance before taking down the last guy. once i realized what i had done, everything started to catch up me and i ran over to yong. after his final blow, he'd fallen to his knees.

"yong!" i cried, trying to see if he had any major injuries but was only met with a fit of manic laughter.

i flinched and stepped back from the sudden outburst, then settled with staying where i was to watch.

"I'M FREE!" he yelled to the heavens, laughing all the while. by the sudden rush of power through my body, it was safe to assume that yong had officially became blind. "I'M FINALLY HUMAN. YOU HEAR THAT? I'M HUMAN."

it was a coincidence that the sun had started to rise, panting our world in its familiar golden light. i was happy to see the beautiful sight, yet something in me churned uncomfortably. yong couldn't see the sunrise anymore. neither would he be able to see the blues of the sky or the greens of the grass. everything he would want to see was now reliant on his memories. he was permanently blind now, and i couldn't help but feel that i'm at fault.

"i'm sorry..." i head perked up to look at yong. "...i'm so so sorry. i left you all alone."

my eyes widened at the tears suddenly dripping down his chin and onto the ground.

"i was so caught up in my hatred of the curse, i forgot that you are only a child. a child that deserves a ball to kick around. a child who deserves to laugh with others. i'm sorry." i felt myself smiling at yong. even though he couldn't see it, i knew for a fact the he could feel it.

as i made my way towards him, i accidentally kicked something. looking down, i noticed that it was a pair of golden bells attached onto each side of a string. i picked it up and shook it once more, liking the light jingle it produced. then, and idea popped into my mind.

i tied the bells onto the ear of my fox mask and shook my head to hear to jingles once more.

"i like that."

"hm?"

"the bells right?"

i hummed in agreement.

"keep them. that way i can find you alright?"

"okay!"

i was happy that yong liked the bells too. and with that, we went home. home, such a warm feeling spreads throughout my body at the mention of it.

-

the next time i saw chenle and actually talked to him was after yong passed away.

to mourn and honor yong's death, i went back to my secret hideout. the same place i met chenle. funny how a friendship was born in this place and now, it's being used as a place to honor the dead.

against one of the trees, i carved in yong's name and the day he died. he had never told me when he was born so i only had his death date to engrave into the bark. after i was done with that, i placed flowers at the foot of the tree and knelt down in front of it. "rest in peace hyung. i hope you have a fulfilling afterlife full of smiles and sunshine."

it was true that yong wasn't the greatest person out there, but i knew his intentions were good. he just didn't want me to get hurt and ridiculed as much as he did. that's why he was so harsh on me. i understood that now.

"i told you you'll find me here one way or another didn't i?" i flinched at the voice and whipped my head around to find the source of it.

and there he stood, a little taller than before, cheeks a little less chubbier, but the same smile still remained on his face.

"c-chenle..." i choked out. it had been so long since i've talked to him. i didn't even know if we were still friends or not. my question was answered not long after.

"that's me." chenle replied cheerfully while he moved to kneel beside me. i watched as he clasped his hands together and said, "thank you mister blue dragon for protecting out village and raising jisung over here. i understand why you were so protective over him, so i forgive you for that one time, even though it did make me sad. rest well, mister." he finished off with a bow then sprung back up to meet face to face with me.

"why are you..?" i asked dumbly, as if i had expected anything more than a lighthearted chuckled from him. but i was left pleasantly surprised, yet again.

"i heard about the news and i had a hunch that you'd be here. i wanted to pay my respects too, but i wanted to talk to you again even more..." chenle paused for a moment and continued, "not trying to sound disrespectful for anything. i really do wish the best for mister blue dragon! he's helped our village so much and it saddens me how we've treated him...you...i'm sorry."

"t-there's no need for you to say sorry...it's not the villagers' fault." i thought about what to say next. counting up the seconds so that i don't take too long too answer. "they...they were just trying to protect themselves. i can't be mad at that now can i?" sure, it was hurtful when the kids ran away, petrified, but could i really blame them? stories spread, and kids will listen to anything their parents say whether it be out of fear or pure trust. and maybe sometimes the comments i overhear aren't the nicest, but that's just how the world works right? it isn't all sunshine and rainbows.

"you're too kind jisung. even though people literally despise your existence, you still find a way to see the kindness in them. a reason for their actions. i admire that about you ji." i was glad that i had my mask on, because the heat that had risen up to my cheeks would've been an embarrassing sight to show. "i like what you did with your mask too. the bells are cute, like you."

if it was possible for me to turn even redder, i turned even redder. "t-thank you. i...i think you're cute too." i stuttered out, afraid to keep eye contact with chenle for too long.

gosh, i couldn't ever really keep my composure with people in general. being a stuttering mess and not being able to get out the right words in time. with chenle, it was like i can pour my heart out to him without fear of being judged. yet at the same time, he makes me more of the stuttering fool than i already am.

"hey ji, you wanna make a promise?" the question piqued my interest, causing me to tilt my head to the side.

"okay..." the thought seemed harmless and it kind of sparked an excitement in me. i've always imagine that having friends would mean playing all day while sharing with each other your deepest darkest secrets. yes, some did apply when chenle befriended me, but he's switched up the meaning a bit for me.

being friends meant being able to talk about anything and everything, and feeling totally satisfied even with miscellaneous topics. it meant being able to confide in someone. it meant sharing laughter at the most stupidest things. it also meant so much more that i wouldn't be able to put into words, because actions speak louder than words right?

"promise me that we'll be the bestest of friends. even when we're old and wrinkly or separated by the adventures we'll go on. just promise me you'll remember this. remember us." it sounded so simple, your words.

how could i ever forget my first friend? you've brought so much into my life without knowing, it only made sense that i'll remember you no matter what.

i watched as he held out his pinky finger for a pinky swear. i stared at it and an idea popped into my head. i lurched forward and enveloped chenle in a hug instead, feeling the warmth spread throughout my body in a comforting hum.

"a hug works too." he whispered with a hint of shock. it didn't stay long because before i knew it, he returned the favor, sealing the promise in its entirety.

"i promise...and thank you lele. _for everything_."


End file.
